


To The Place I Belong

by TaraHarkon



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Backstory, F/F, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-10-21 05:09:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17636537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaraHarkon/pseuds/TaraHarkon
Summary: A quick backstory for Dani. A story of her arrival in the human world told in brief snapshots of time.





	To The Place I Belong

A little girl ran through the grass, both hands out as she giggled and pretended that she could fly. She jumped off a small rock, pushing off just as hard as she could, and managed to escape gravity's pull for just a moment. Or so it seemed to her, anyway. And whether she did or not, did it really matter if she believed it to be true? Somewhere far behind her, a voice carried over the fields to call her home.

"Dani! It's time to come in!"

She let out a whoop and turned, game forgotten as she sprinted for the house as fast as her two feet could take her. The world was full of promise and everything she saw was magical, even if those promises were written on checks that the world would never be able to cash. She certainly didn't know that. 

* * *

She was older now, a young teenager with rebellion in her heart and her heart on her sleeve. And the world was no longer full of wonder and kindness. The world was a hard place and unfair. Sylvain had never been fair, not as long as Dani had been alive. But it was something she was only just coming to realize. And she didn't want to accept that. She couldn't accept that. Their world was dying because of another place, another world tied to theirs full of people who were so very different from the Sylphs. These humans were the bogeys that haunted her nightmares, the terrors that walked in the stories she'd been raised to. They were the monsters that lurked under the bed and in shadows at night. And they were the ones who had broken the crystal. They were the ones who had brought this doom. 

"Why don't we go get the pieces back? Maybe fix it and see if that helps?"

Dani's expression was hard as she asked the question, but the adults around her only shook their heads and said it was forbidden. 

"There are reasons."

"You'll understand when you're older."

"It's far too dangerous, Dani."

She shook her head, silently reminding them that if they didn't find a way to fix this, she may never get to be old enough to understand. Not with the way things were going. Not with everyone refusing to do anything about it. 

* * *

"Dani, sweetheart, are you sure about this?"

Her mother was worried about her. It was plain to see. The three of them, Dani, her mother, and her father, sat around the kitchen table. Dani's backpack sat by the door, packed and ready to go as soon as they were done. Her father put a hand on her shoulder.

"You know that if you go to Earth... you can't come back. It's the law..."

Dani took one at the small cake at the center of the table and took a breath. Eighteen flowers were carefully scattered across the frosting. Eighteen flowers for her eighteen years on Sylvain. And by tomorrow morning, she would be in a new world never to return. Then she turned and hugged him tightly, leaning out of her chair to do it.

"I know that, Papa. I do. But I have to do something. No one here is."

The last words were perhaps a bit too sharp and Dani regretted them for half an instant. Then her father's hug tightened and she relaxed. Her mother gave her a sad smile and carefully cut the cake.

"Here now. Let's just have dessert. Then we'll... Then we can say our good-byes."

Dani tried to ignore the shakes in her mother's hands and the tears in her own eyes. It was all so much, too much. But this was something she had to do. There was something about Earth that called to her as inexorably as Earth called to Sylvain. 

* * *

It was only when she stumbled out of the archway with her backpack on her back and her orange eyes shielded against the light that Dani really started to wonder what she'd gotten herself into. Earth, it seemed, was just as large as Sylvain, and she didn't know anyone here. She swallowed hard against the fear in her throat and took a step, listening to the pine needles under her feet shift. She could hear animals somewhere out in the brush. At least, she assumed they were animals. She hoped they were animals. Her grip on the straps of her backpack tightened as she walked. She really didn't know all that much about Earth. It had all been stories before and now it was oh so very real. A twig cracked not too far away and years and years of stories of humans and the horrors they wrought came rushing back. She broke into a run.

Welcome to Kepler, West Virginia. That was what the sign had said. Dani pulled her jacket tighter around her shoulders as she walked along the strange road with its smooth black surface and yellow lines. But if she kept following this path, then probably she could find her way to a city. Humans had to have those too, right? And perhaps they had an Interpreter she could talk to. Or at least a council. A strange rushing sound came from around the bend ahead and Dani stopped, pulling a bit closer to the trees. As she watched, something came around the corner. It was black and white and big. There were panels of an odd dark glass making up large portions of it and, oddest of all, there were was a word across the side. Sheriff. It came to a stop and one of the glass panels slowly vanished before a man leaned out. Dani froze as he stared at her. He could have almost been a Sylph, but an odd one with rounded ears and flat teeth. His eyes were a darker color than her own as well. Did humans really look that much like some Sylphs? 

"Hey there. Everythin' alright?"

He blinked a few times as he got a better look at her. He frowned slightly and all she could think of was those stories she'd heard so often. Any moment now, he would lash out. There were guards at the gate for just that reason and she had walked into this world without any way to defend herself. Any second now, he would turn into the monsters from the stories and rip her to pieces. With those visions swamping her mind, Dani gulped hard and turned, running into the trees. Hopefully his device was restricted to the black roads. Hopefully he wouldn't be able to follow her. Hopefully, she would be safe. 

It seemed like so much time had passed, but the sun was still up when Dani finally stopped to sit against one of the trees. She pulled her knees up to her chest and tried to stop her shakes. She was breathing hard and there were tears on her cheeks. She clenched her eyes shut, listening to every sound around her. Any movement could be a human, every sound was a rampaging monster coming through the underbrush with murderous intent. But none came and soon the sun was setting.

* * *

"S'the darnedest thing," Sheriff Owens said for the dozenth time as he reached for his drink. "She was a young thing, looked scared, sure enough. But I swear to you, swear to any damn thing you like, that girl had orange eyes and... and fangs. Like a vampire kinda fangs."

The woman sitting next to him at the bar only laughed and clapped the Sheriff on the back as she finished the last swig of her beer.

"That's ridiculous and you know it. Next thing, you're gonna say she ran off into the woods and turned into the Mothman."

Owens snorted a laugh as she stood and pulled her duster back on.

"Come on, Mama, we both know there's no such thing as the Mothman. I was just saying it was weird, that's all."

But Mama was only barely paying attention as she laughed and bid him farewell. If there was a girl running around in the woods near Kepler with orange eyes, that had to mean there was another Sylph this side of the archway. Either that or an Abomination. That was possible, after all. She didn't much like the idea that one would make itself look like that much like a Sylph, but anything was possible. And that was why she'd been down in town after all, trying to get word if anything off had happened. She looked up at the sky, studying the moon for a long moment. It was also possible that this new Sylph was going to have a very rude awakening to how things were on this side of the archway. And that meant she had a Sylph to find.

* * *

The crack of a twig was what woke Dani in the dark of night. She jolted upright, eyes reflecting the scant light of the moon. There was someone else out here, or something else. As quietly as she could, she got herself to her feet and started to move again, paying attention to where she set her feet. She glanced up briefly, looking at the crescent moon high in the sky. Then Dani heard another crack, this one much closer, and started to run. One of the tree roots shot up, tripping her, and Dani fell forward. She rolled across the pine needles on the ground and then lay there, momentarily stunned. She got her arms under her, ready to start to push up, and heard a loud voice.

"Stay down, kid!"

Then two loud cracks rang out and she heard something behind her hiss. When she looked up, there was a tall woman standing just a few feet off with a shotgun in her hands and a long duster billowing behind her.

"It's alright, now, girl. You're safe. I'm with the Pine Guard."

Dani had heard of the Pine Guard, of course. They were the safe humans, the humans allowed to walk into Sylvain. The woman offered Dani a hand up and then grinned.

"New to Earth, girl? You can call me Mama."

"I'm Dani."

Mama nodded and then gestured for Dani to follow.

"Come on, I'll take you to the Lodge. We've got a whole group of Sylphs living this side of the portal. Barclay can help you get settled in."

* * *

Dani kept running her tongue over her teeth, feeling odd with these short, flat teeth. It was rapidly becoming a nervous habit. Most people in her shoes would have fidgeted with the ring that made the disguise, she supposed, but she was too afraid to. Too afraid to let the humans on this side of the gate see who she really was. Humans were still monsters. Humans were still dangerous. Mama was Pine Guard and Pine Guard was different. She leaned over the sink, staring into the mirror at the hazel eyes of her disguise. She felt wrong. She felt like she wasn't her. She ran her tongue across her teeth again and stared at this stranger in the mirror. This wouldn't be forever. If she could figure out a way to fix things, then maybe...

* * *

"So, what's Sylvain like, anyway?"

Dani tensed and shook her head, looking uncomfortable even as she stood there without her disguise on. Aubrey always asked questions like this. Aubrey wanted to know so much more than Dani was willing to share. There was so much that was uncomfortable. But at least time spent here meant she knew humans weren't all monsters now. Or at least, Aubrey wasn't. She wasn't sure if that was the same thing, but it for good enough for now.

"I don't really want to talk about home, Aubrey. I'm an exile, remember? I can't go back."

For a moment, Aubrey looked like a kicked puppy. Then Aubrey picked Dr Harris Bonkers up and hugged him gently.

"Sorry, Dani. I didn't mean-"

"It's alright."

Dani reached out and stroked the rabbit's ears, glad he was there to help smooth over moments like this.

* * *

Things were getting worse, getting tense. A government agent had moved into the Lodge. Mama was gone and then back and behaving oddly. And now Aubrey was being distant and secretive. And so much had gone wrong in Kepler. The accidents, thankfully, hadn't been too bad and very few people were hurt. And it was over. And now Dani was standing on the deck with her coat pulled tight around her shoulders while she watched the stars high above. A sudden burst of warm air was the door opening and Aubrey stepping up beside her to lean against the railing as well. 

"H-hey, Dani."

"Hey, Aubrey. Long time no-"

Dani turned to smile at her, startled to see that Aubrey wasn't wearing the sunglasses that had been concealing her eyes for quite some time. Dani hesitated for just a moment and then slipped her disguise ring off and into her pocket. Two orange eyes met one brown and one orange. 

"Aubrey, what happened?"

Aubrey explained it. She explained all of it. For a long moment, Dani stood there in silence. Then she took a step closer to Aubrey and felt Aubrey's arms settle around her. She rested her head against Aubrey's shoulder and slipped her own arms around Aubrey's waist. 

"I know you don't like talking about..."

Dani looked up and Aubrey trailed off, a blush on her cheeks.

"It's alright. I just... You saw it. The Heart of Sylvain and..." Then she stopped. "Aubrey, you said she told you not to tell anyone. But you told me..."

The blush on Aubrey's cheeks burned even brighter and she smiled nervously.

"You're not just anyone..."

It was sappy and such a stereotype of trite romance. And yet. And yet Dani felt her own cheeks growing hot and she buried her face against Aubrey's jacket. Something inside her focused and sharpened as she became aware of a truth that was already a part of her. Everything in her life had led here to this place, to the Lodge, and to Aubrey. And sure, they didn't have all the answers yet and Sylvain might still die, but Aubrey had done something. She had done more than Dani had been able to do. And maybe things weren't perfect. But this was the place that she belonged.


End file.
